(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for making a metal article and more particularly, an apparatus for making a fully dense forged metal article having an intricate contoured surface.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Metal parts having contoured surfaces, for example, gears having a plurality of teeth have been produced by machining a block of metal with the desired contoured surface, or by powder metallurgy techniques in which metal particles are compacted into the desired contoured surface and the compact is sintered. If a powdered metal technique is used a complex tooling apparatus is often required and tool wear has been typically excessive. Additionally, the resulting metal article has had relatively lower physical properties due to having a density less than fully dense material. In cases in which good physical properties are required, such as many gear applications, the articles have to be produced by machining a block of solid metal. This process, however, results in an article which is expensive to produce.
Lastly, there are many advantages associated with the use of metal articles produced by powder metallurgy techniques, for example, the ability to readily vary the powder metal composition to provide particular characteristics, and the ability to form intricate contours while minimizing or avoiding machining operations.
It would be advantageous if metal articles having intricate contoured surfaces and good physical properties could be produced using an apparatus which is reliable and economical in operation.